Fueling environments handle fuels that are dispensed, and thus safety issues are always of concern. For example, it is possible that, in the right environmental conditions, there may be enough of a static electrical charge accumulated to generate a spark. In normal environments, such a spark shocks the recipient and may provide some brief period of discomfort. However, in a fueling environment that has hydrocarbon vapors lingering about the fuel dispensers, such a spark may be more dangerous.
Currently, most fuel dispensers display warnings about the risks associated with static electricity. However, there are currently no known commercially deployed devices which detect the presence of an elevated static charge proximate a nozzle of a fuel dispenser in a fueling environment. In light of the issues associated with such static charges, there is a need for a device that detects static charge proximate the fuel dispenser and has the capability to improve the safety of fuel dispenser users when such a static charge is detected.